‘Non sibi sed omnibus’ - Not for myself but for all.
MMI Insight 2020 #02
“To me, that is what we should shape our decade around, not for ourselves, but for all the patients who need us. ”
We have been told ever since we learned how to speak that we, as the future generation, have the power to do and change anything we want. This mentality has become ingrained and rote to many of us.
To all medical students around the world, including myself, this decade that we’re entering is immense; and considering that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, this quote by Barack Obama provides me with inspiration: “We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it.”
To me, this decade has endless possibilities, a spectrum of good and bad. How we navigate and shape this decade post-pandemic will be remembered in history. We can’t let this opportunity slip through our hands.
We need to improve healthcare systems worldwide, but first, let us begin within our own country. Every healthcare system in the world has one sole aim: To help those that are sick, recover. For that goal to be realized in Malaysia we need to eradicate the politics from medicine. Before we can ensure we can help those that need us, we must first help ourselves.
We must ensure that graduating doctors have the optimum environment to learn and nurture their skills. We must improve the contract system so that doctors are no longer worried about their future and salary and instead worry about the patient in front of them. We must improve the pathway for junior doctors to become consultants so that we can treat more patients and improve their lives. My personal motto is ‘Non sibi sed omnibus’ which means ‘not for myself but for all’ and to me that is what we should shape our decade around, not for ourselves, but for all the patients who need us.
Justin Soon is entering into his third year of medical studies at University of Nottingham, UK. He currently serves as a Content Executive on the Malaysian Medical Summit 2020 Committee.
